Re: Another Nikasil vs. Alusil block question (archive)

I have a gorgeous '93 740il with about 69k on it. It still pulls out very strong, but when allowed to sit for days on end, when started appears to be very rough. Can't tell anything wrong once driving. Replacement block I hear run about $3k. Be careful...my advice although everything on my end ok for now, is to get it checked out, as you have, if ok then time will only tell. My guess if no sign of problem you may be ok.

Thanks to this message board and associated links, I learned about the M60 V8 engine problems proir to purchasing a 1993 740i from an independent dealer in California. The car has 60k miles, spent 4 years in Ohio and 4 years in Califronia. Other than the possible engine problem the car is in great shape. I have confirmed that the car has the original nikasil block but I'm still considering buying it at $17.5k.

I discussed the M60 problem with the dealer. In addition to having the car serviced and detailed, he is having the engine leak tested at an authorized BMW dealship and will have results in a few days. At this point the sale is progressing one step at a time but I will be faced with a decision when the test results come back in a few days.

Questions:

1.)If the engine passes the leak test, is this car still a good deal, even though I may be looking at possible block replacement in the future? Does anyone know what that out-of-pocket cost would be, assuming no warranty from BMW?

2.) If the engine fails the leak test, I either walk away from the deal or the dealer offers to replace the block. He has indicated that he would consider replacing the block if it fails. Does anyone have a '93 or '94 740i with the replacement alusil block, and how does it perform with the new block, any problems?

Any advice or similar experience would be greatly appreciated.

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